Some members of major command and installation civil engineering units also join AFCEC, which will execute duties in construction, energy, environment, housing, operations, planning, real property, and readiness and emergency management.

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The unit is subordinate to Air Force Civil Engineer Maj. Gen. Timothy Byers, who presided over the activation ceremony in Port San Antonio's Hangar 1610 on the former Kelly AFB flightline.

"This ceremony is much more than an organizational change," Byers said. "This is the debut of the next generation of installation and expeditionary support capabilities that will help us build ready engineers, build great leaders and build sustainable installations. We're forging the future of Air Force civil engineering today."

The general first announced the formation of new field operating agency in November 2011 when he laid out plans for a civil engineering transformation, an accelerated program designed to advance at a faster rate civil engineering restructuring and efficiencies underway since 2007. The accelerated program helps the Air Force meet its civil engineering mission responsibilities while working within an Air Force constrained budget environment.

"These efforts reexamine our processes and capabilities, and centralize, standardize and streamline our core activities and services across the enterprise," Byers said of CE transformaiton. "From the major commands to the installations, civil engineers will take a more focused and centralized approach to installation management that prioritizes requirements across the service, aligns our scarce resources with the Air Force's highest priorities, and minimizes the risk to airmen and the mission — all the while maintaining expeditionary combat support and efficient, yet effective, installation support."

In accepting the unit flag and his role as AFCEC's leader, Sciabica said his focus is on support to the warfighter and the people executing the CE mission in the field.

"Our leaders recognized that while the Air Force flies, fights and wins in air, space and cyberspace, it executes its operations at installations and airfields kept mission-ready by civil engineers," he said.

"Those engineers and real property professionals need resources and capabilities at the ready to provide training, guidance and support to the warfighters."

Michael Briggs is a writer in the Air Force Civil Engineer Center public affairs office.